Azumurder on a Train
by Rick Danger
Summary: Chiyo's going on a two week train trip with her Master, Closely surveyed by the girls of course. bringing everyone one step closer to solving the murder that started it all. Will Kaorin be avenged? Will someone die? Will Sakaki finally go totally nuts?
1. Bait the Hook and Recast

"Well, now that we've rescued Chiyo, we need to go back to solving Kaorin's murder."

The five girls sat around Chiyo, who Sakaki had condemned to bed, as her fever was still persistent. She nodded,

"That's right." She said, gravely. Kagura spoke next, raising her hand as though they were in a schoolhouse and Chiyo their teacher,

"Yeah, but we don't know anything about this guy!" She commented in a hopeless tone. Sakaki shook her head,

"That's not true," she said. She pointed her index finger to her right, her arm extended in such a way that it almost poked out Chiyo's left eye, "You've seen him, haven't you?" Osaka, Kagura, Tomo and Yomi all looked at Chiyo. She could feel their eyes boring into her brain. She coughed twice before she spoke,

"Well," she stuttered, "I…er…well I did see him, yes." Tomo, who had been shaking with anticipation, practically pounced on Chiyo,

"So, what's his name? Who is this sicko? Come on!" Yomi clapped her hand over Tomo's mouth,

"Leave the kid alone, Tomo!" she shouted. She turned back to Chiyo, her face instantly calming. "Come on, Chiyo. Can you tell us his name?" Chiyo shook her head,

"Well," she began, wringing her hands in embarrassment, "He didn't tell me his name. He just made me call him 'Master'." Everyone's face took on a slight green tinge,

"So," Kagura summarized, "He made you dress up like a cat/French maid and call him Master." Chiyo nodded solemnly. Sakaki looked as though she might be sick,

"What _else_ did that sicko do to you?" Tomo demanded. Chiyo snapped to attention,

"N-nothing!" she answered. The others looked skeptical. Chiyo had answered a little _too_ quickly for their taste.

"Really?" asked Kagura. Chiyo nodded,

"Then what's that?" Osaka asked, pointing to the red stripe on her chest.

"Well, _he _didn't do that. Yuichi did. He cut me 'cause Master likes girls in distress."

"Ew." Everyone said quietly. Chiyo quickly changed the subject back to the investigation,

"Anyway," she said, clapping her hands together, "Where do we go from here?" Osaka, who had been pondering quietly for some time spoke out,

"Bait the hook and cast off again!" she cried, pointing her finger into the air in a classic "eureka!" stance. Chiyo looked at her quizzically. At times like this, Chiyo felt she was the only person who could understand her friend,

"What do you mean 'bait the hook'?" she asked, leaning forward and hunching her shoulders. Osaka looked confused,

"I thought it was pretty self-explanatory. We go back to the warehouse and send someone in." she said. Kagura nodded,

"That might work. Chiyo-Chan could go back in, but this time we'd be supervising the whole operation with cameras and microphones and stuff!" Yomi soon joined the brainstorm,

"Of course! We'd give Chiyo a walkie-talkie or, like, put microphones and cameras in her dress. That way, if anything happened to Chiyo-Chan we could help her. Then, once she's gathered enough evidence on Kaorin's case we could go to the police." Chiyo blanched,

"Please," she implored, grabbing Yomi's sleeve, "Don't make me go back. If we have no other choice then I'll do it, but please, _please_ let this be our last resort." Sakaki nodded,

"I agree with Chiyo-Chan." She said, bluntly, "I mean, look at this!" she pointed to Chiyo's scar, "What if something worse happens this time? What if we can't help her before it's too late? We worked so hard to get her back, and why? Because we didn't want to lose her! I say we try to think of another way to do this. Sending one of us in should be a last resort." The others nodded,

"Well, what else can we do?" asked Tomo, "It's not like we can bug the warehouse without someone inside first." Chiyo thought for a moment,

"I've got it!" she cried, her face brightening, "He was going to take me somewhere for two weeks. He even gave me the train ticket!" she gestured to Sakaki who drew a slip of paper from a secret pocket,

"Holy crap!" Osaka cried, "Chiyo-Chan, this trip was going to be so awesome! He was taking you to, like, France on one of those super luxury overnight train things!" Chiyo looked at Osaka in a kind of sideways glance,  
"Right then…" she said, "Anyway, I think we could find enough tickets for the rest of you to come too. The trip's more like a cruise so we'll have lots of time." The others nodded again,

"When do we put you back, though?" asked Sakaki. Chiyo looked at her, her face taking on a grave and somber expression,

"As soon as possible."


	2. Seperation Anxiety

Sakaki's views on Chiyo's health were made adamantly clear from day one,

"Under no circumstances," Sakaki had said after assembling everyone around Chiyo so she wouldn't have to get out of bed, "Is Chiyo allowed to leave before she is completely healthy!"

"But, Sakaki-San," Chiyo ventured, "The trip is in ten days." Sakaki looked her young friend directly in the eye,

"And if you aren't healthy by then, we won't send you back." She proclaimed. Chiyo nodded, she wanted to catch Master more than anything, however, she knew arguing with Sakaki would get her nowhere. The other girls seemed to take a less understanding approach.

"That's unfair!" Tomo cried, "If we can't send Chiyo back in, how are we ever going to capture this maniac? Who knows? He could be looking for another girl as we speak!" Tomo placed her hands on her hips and stared Sakaki in the eye, giving everyone the impression that Tomo was challenging the leader of a wolf pack for dominance. After a long stare down, however, Tomo crossed her arms and sat back in her chair, defeated.

"Now," Sakaki continued, "I think we should all give Chiyo-Chan some time to rest up. She's certainly going to need it." Everyone muttered their agreements as they filed out the door, everyone except Sakaki. When everyone else was gone, Chiyo finally said what had been on her mind for a long time.

"Sakaki-San," She said, "My fever disappeared two days ago. Why are you still keeping me in bed? I want to go back! I want to gather evidence! Most of all, I want us to catch Master and bring him to justice." She stared up at her friend, the sheer determination in her eyes made Sakaki want to cry. She sat down on the bed next to Chiyo and hugged her tightly,

"The way I felt when you were missing," She said, Chiyo could feel her breaths growing short and raspy as Sakaki fought tears, "The way I felt when I thought I would never see you again…I never want to feel that way again. I don't want to let you go, Chiyo-Chan. What if…what if I can't save you this time? What if something happens? What if…" Sakaki trailed off, she couldn't talk anymore through the sobs. Chiyo stroked her back comfortingly before pulling out of Sakaki's grip.

"I won't let that happen." She declared, placing her hands on Sakaki's shoulders "We will catch him, he will pay for what he's done. I'll make sure of that." Chiyo reached up a hand and dried Sakaki's eyes, smiling slightly. Sakaki smiled back.

"Thank you, Chiyo-Chan," She said, "I'd never be able to make it through this if you weren't so brave." Then she lightly kissed her friend's cheek, stood, and left. "Get some rest," She added as she opened the door, "I'll tell the other's tomorrow that you're ready to go back." Sakaki closed the door behind her, leaving Chiyo alone in the dark room. Finally by herself, Chiyo's brave face turned to one of unimaginable loneliness. The two chocolate orbs adorning her face began to flood. Chiyo placed her head in her two, tiny hands and, for the first time since her rescue, really and truly wept.


End file.
